The Beginning
I started running with a friend in 2006. We would do 3.5 miles during lunch 3-5 days a week. Since I work in DC, my office was conveniently located close to the National Mall plus we also had locker rooms with showers (mandatory when running in August in DC).
My friend started training for a marathon and sadly was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and couldn’t run for a while. During the time that she was out of commission, I continued running on my own and found that I enjoyed the alone time. Shortly after she healed, she moved away. Gradually I worked up to running 5 miles 4-5 days a week.
Starting to Race
During the summer and fall of 2008, I was extremely unhappy with my job and was having difficulty deciding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I wasn’t getting personal fulfillment from my job. I needed a goal and an event to look forward to…I set my sights on running a half marathon in December 2008. At this point I had been running 20-25 miles for at least a year and knew that I could do a half marathon if I slowly built up my mileage.
I ran the 2008 Las Vegas Half Marathon in 2:48:08. I was so nervous before the race, I couldn’t talk because I would’ve burst into tears. The sense of accomplishment I had when I crossed the finish line was amazing and from that point, I was hooked on racing!!
2009 Racing Season
I knew I wanted to do a full marathon in 2009 but wanted to complete more half marathons as well. I decided to do my full marathon in the fall of 2009 and use the spring for shorter distance races.
Spring 2009 Races
George Washington Parkway 10 Miler
April 26, 2009
1:51:24
Pacers Running Festival Half Marathon
May 10, 2009
2:24:11
Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon
May 31, 2009
2:31:21
My First Marathon Training
My first marathon will be on October 10, 2009…I’ll be running the Baltimore Running Festival Marathon! For my training, I created my own training plan. I started with Hal Higdon’s Beginner’s Marathon Plan but then made lots of changes. I added more weeks into the plan so there are weeks built-in where I can take a break if I need it or if we’re out of town or I’m sick or the weather’s too bad to run. I also increased the longest run to 24 miles instead of 20. I know for me to be mentally prepared for the 26.2 miles, I need to do a run longer than 20 miles.
I run 4 mornings of the week, typically Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Obviously this sometimes changes if the weather’s bad or if we have plans for Saturday; otherwise, I pretty much stick with my planned days.
Other Exercise
In addition to running 4 days a week, I also do strength and cross training workouts 4-5 days a week. I’m fortunate enough at my new job to have a free gym downstairs. It’s not the fanciest but it’s free and I like to do an afternoon workout with strength and cross training 4-5 days a week, depending on my schedule. My running has improved significantly since I started having dedicated strength workouts. I’m also trying to include more yoga/flexibility into my workout schedule but slowing down to meditate is hard for me.
Here’s what a typical workout week looks like for me:
Sunday—rest
Monday—afternoon cross training workout
Tuesday—5 mile run in the morning, afternoon cross training and strength workouts
Wednesday—7 mile run in the morning, afternoon cross training workout
Thursday—5 mile run in the morning, afternoon cross training and strength workout
Friday—long bike ride or cross training
Saturday—long run of 16 miles, 15 minutes of foamrolling and stretching after
Please keep in mind that this is what works for me and it’s not the best for everyone!! I sit in an office chair all day long so the afternoon workouts give me a chance to stretch my legs and un-hunch my shoulders.
I Love to Run!
Honestly, I do. I know it sounds kooky to some people but running keeps me sane. I enjoy the time to sort out my thoughts and feelings. Ultimately, you have to find an exercise you enjoy doing and one that doesn’t seem like a chore.
